Rep. Nancy Mace introduces legislation to reinstate the death penalty in Washington, D.C., nearly 45 years after abolition

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has proposed legislation aimed at restoring the death penalty in Washington, D.C., about 45 years after capital punishment was officially abolished there, according to a report published Friday by The Washington Times.

The bill would change the federal criminal penalties applicable in the District of Columbia so that defendants convicted of qualifying murder offenses could face execution, Mace said in laying out the measure, the report said. Supporters argue that reinstating capital punishment would increase public-safety options for the most serious homicides, while opponents have historically raised constitutional and due-process concerns about capital punishment.

Mace’s proposal comes as D.C. remains under a distinct legal framework compared with states, with Congress exercising legislative authority over many aspects of District law. A change to the death-penalty structure in the District therefore depends on congressional action rather than a local ballot measure, according to the general posture described in the report.

The measure is also expected to keep the issue within the scope of federal sentencing and review processes, since D.C. death-penalty cases would be litigated under federal law and governed by constitutional requirements for capital sentencing. Details on the bill’s scope, timelines for implementation, and the exact categories of covered offenses were not available in the reporting provided for this drafting.

If advanced, the proposal would need to move through the House committee and floor process and then clear the Senate and be signed into law to take effect. The report did not describe any immediate hearing schedule or companion legislation.

For the Department of Justice and D.C.-based prosecutors, reinstating the death penalty would also change the litigation posture of certain homicide cases, including how charging decisions are made and what sentencing procedures apply after a conviction, the report’s focus suggests.

The proposal sets up another congressional debate over the federal government’s role in determining criminal penalties in the District of Columbia, balancing public-safety enforcement arguments against constitutional questions that have accompanied capital punishment cases for decades.